US STOCKS-Futures fall as oil weighs, Fed notes global growth fears

Aug 20 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures fell sharply on
Thursday, a day after minutes from the latest Federal Reserve
meeting highlighted concerns over the state of the global
economy and as oil prices hit their lowest since 2009.

* U.S. policymakers continued to express broad concerns
about lagging inflation and the weak world economy even as the
job market improved further.

* Traders scaled back bets the Fed would raise interest
rates in September after the minutes. They now see a 35 percent
chance of a rate hike next month, down from 46 percent on
Tuesday.

* The dollar index fell after the minutes were
released on Wednesday. Wall Street briefly turn positive after
the minutes, but closed lower, weighed down by oil prices and a
fall in materials and energy stocks.

* The Dow Jones industrial average is poised to stay below
its 200-day moving average for the 13th session in a row. The
last time this happened was in August-September 2011, when the
index stayed below its 200-day average for 59 sessions.

* World bourses were trading lower too. Shares in Asia hit a
two-year low, German stocks were on track for their worst month
in over three years, and British stocks slumped to their lowest
since January.

* Fears of slowing growth in China, which carried the global
economy following the 2008 international financial crisis, has
also affected commodities.
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